Kathryn K. Schaffer

Office:

Contact:

kschaf2|at|saic|dot|edu

NEW! Fall 2014: Go here to learn about the super cool new collaborative studio/science class that I will be co-teaching this Spring along with artist Paola Cabal.

I am a physicist and professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). My scientific research focuses on data analysis for experiments in cosmology and nuclear physics. I'm interested in the process by which physicists transform raw information from detector systems into knowledge about the world, especially the argumentation used to account for sources of uncertainty in the measurement process.

I view my classes at SAIC as a laboratory for exploring science communication, science in society, and critical perspectives on the nature of science and the meaning of scientific knowledge. My professional work is expanding to include projects that draw from my teaching and from interdisciplinary dialog with my SAIC colleagues and students.

Research Highlights

I have been a member of the South Pole Telescope (SPT) collaboration since 2005, and maintain a research affiliation with the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago, which is the lead institution for the SPT project. The South Pole Telescope is a microwave telescope that detects relic radiation from the Big Bang. Some recent papers to which I have contributed:

Pursuing a personal interest in nuclear non-proliferation and safeguards science, I spent the Summer of 2011 as a Faculty Guest Researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory. I worked with researchers in the N1 group who are developing microcalorimeter systems for non-destructive assay of nuclear materials, studying approaches to data analysis and uncertainty estimation. This work contributed to the following paper:

My graduate research (at the University of Washington) was in the field of nuclear and particle physics, as a member of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory collaboration. For my dissertation I analyzed the so-called "day-night effect" for solar neutrinos, and my results were documented in the following paper:

Teaching Highlights

My classes at SAIC are designed to give students a liberal-arts-physics experience that challenges them to think in new ways, reflect on their own worldview, and engage critically with current debates that involve science. I am currently focusing most on the following three classes:

1. Waves. Waves is an inquiry-based lab class. We study phenomena related to sound, light, water waves, and vibrations. We then apply the same concepts to gain insights into quantum physics and a range of current scientific research topics, from biosonar to gravitational waves. In this class, students work in groups to design their own observations and experiments to try to answer open-ended "research" questions that often originate from their own curiosity. The insights and sketches recorded in student lab notebooks are incorporated into lectures and discussions. I am beginning work on a book to support this course that explicitly emphasizes analogy, visual representation, mental models, and hands-on exploration of wave phenomena.

2. The Unstable Nucleus. This is a lecture-discussion course that tackles science content in the context of current events and controversial issues. The course introduces the physics of the nucleus, the types and effects of radiation, and the science behind nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. Signature features of this course include a class blog and weekly discussion of current "nuclear news," an emphasis on "nuanced questions" that do not have straightforward textbook answers, and essay assignments that require students to marshall their scientific knowledge in support of their own opinions on current nuclear policy topics.

3. The Leading Edge: Astrophysics. This is an experimental course in collaboration with the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics (KICP). The course is structured around three guest lectures from early-career KICP researchers. The guests benefit from student feedback to hone their public communication skills. The class then studies the topics introduced by each lecturer in detail, and students develop individual verbal, written, and visual explanations of bite-sized science topics drawn from each guest's research narrative. In addition to giving researchers a chance to "workshop" their communication skills, this class brings cutting edge science to a non-specialist audience and explores how constructing explanations can help not just for communication but also for one's own understanding.

Other Projects

* Outreach collaborations with KICP: I've been involved with public outreach lectures (including the Brinson lectures and some lectures co-sponsored by C2ST), art-science faculty exchanges, and SAIC student design projects that relate to KICP science.

* The Small Science Collective: I do zine projects in some of my classes in partnership with this effort, which is the brainchild of my colleague Andy Yang. I have represented the Small Science Collective at the Chicago Zine Fest.

* Old blogs: For a while I kept a blog on interesting physics topics, at the request of my students, although I've neglected it for a couple of years now. And many years ago, I kept a blog on my trips to work on the South Pole Telescope.